Bearded Lady Removes Mirena After 3.5 Years

Hello ladies,

Thank goodness, an active forum for Mirena! I was considering what to do after my first Mirena (placed 2008) "expired" so I was googling around about options and all the attractive facial hair that I have now. Reading stories about the bad effects made me realize that my physical and mental problems of the past 3+ years are very similar and coincide perfectly with the Mirena.

Two weeks after insertion, I slumped into an unexplained depression. I do not have clinical depression, and I feel like my life is very good overall. Nothing happened, I just felt terrible. By the end of the year I was suicidal and in therapy, and I broke up with my S.O., the father of my youngest child, who I was previously very happy with (he and I are stable now and managed to stay healthy coparents the whole time). I attributed the Depression to our crumbling relationship, but really, the Depression came first.

I had a lot of the symptoms--

*Weight gain, 10 pounds/year, and I now am the heaviest I've ever been in my life. I was gaining weight while I was training and running 5Ks 4/a week and doing other exercise.
*Painful cystic Acne on my chin and jaw, and breakouts weird places like my calves (!!)
*FACIAL HAIR like I could not believe. I started going to electrolysis. And the hairs would be ingrown, leading to more blemishes/scars.
*Pelvic pain--ovaries and uterus, intermittent.
*Headaches/migraines, waking up 3-4 times a night for years.
*Brain fog, extreme forgetfulness
*With the depression, extreme irritability, especially with my children

The Depression lifted after the first year or so, thank goodness, but everything else remained. I think I felt so much better for moving out of depression, I didn't really question how much my life/body had changed?

I am very sad that I didn't realize for so long what the root cause of this is. I had it taken out the other day by a doctor I don't usually see and...he did not really believe the IUD was causing any of this, but did comment that my chart has shown a weight gain from 2008 on, when I was steady before.

I have two questions--are there women here who have had it out and have, after "detoxing," had the Acne and facial hair subside? It's only been a few days but every day I hope I am plucking the last hair and that I am seeing the last zit. I know (well, hope) the weight will go away as I am a sensible eater and exercise regularly.

The second is more of a statement...I am thinking of having an ultrasound or something done to see if I have any growths or tumors. I'm worried after all the pain I've had over the past couple of years. Did anyone find ovarian growths/tumors after Mirena?

My body seems to be flushing now. I am peeing like crazy, like post-PMS or after having a baby, every 5-10 minutes! I feel less puffy already. My brain feels a little sharper too and I am having vivid dreams. The doctor gave me a scrip for Seasonale, but I am going to stay off b.c. for a while to really let my body get this out.

Anyway, thanks, had to vent, I have filled out the FDA complaint form, wanted to say I feel better already (have read about the Mirena Crash and am watching myself, and others are watching me), and I hope things will improve from here! I think there's only up.

Stay strong, ladies!! Tweet